Takeshi Kitano’s Broken Rage will premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival

Prime Video revealed the striking key art and first-look images from the Japanese original film Broken Rage, produced by Amazon MGM Studios. Set to be showcased with a grand premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Friday, September 6, Broken Rage becomes the first Japanese film produced for streaming to be officially selected for the prestigious international film festival. Broken Rage will be presented Out of Competition at the Festival and it will exclusively stream on Prime Video in 2025.

Directed, written by, and starring the legendary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, who continues to receive worldwide acclaim, Broken Rage is based on his concept of exploring “comedy within a violent film.”

Redefining the norms of the genre, the first half follows a hitman, Nezumi (played by Takeshi Kitano), fighting for his survival when he’s caught between the police and yakuza. But in the second half, the gritty crime-action thriller takes an unexpected turn, evolving into a self-parodying comedy that retells the same story with a captivatingly humorous touch.

Tadanobu Asano, who starred in Kitano’s Zatōichi (2003) and Kubi (2023) and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Shogun (2023), plays the lead detective trying to coerce Nezumi into cooperating as an undercover informant in a drug investigation. Nao Omori, who made his Hollywood debut in The Outsiders (2018) and has appeared in five of Kitano’s films, including Dolls (2002), Achilles and the Tortoise (2008), Outrage Coda (2017), and Kubi (2023), also plays a detective.

The role of the yakuza boss overseeing the drug trade is played by Shidō Nakamura, who made his debut in a Takeshi Kitano film with Kubi (2023), and the role of the young boss is played by Hakuryu, who has appeared in numerous Kitano films. The talented ensemble cast also includes Takashi Nishina (Outrage Coda, Kubi), So Kaku (Sanctuary, 2023), along with popular comedians making their first appearances in a Kitano film, such as Gekidan Hitori, Masanori Hasegawa (Nishikigoi), Azusa Babazono, and Mogura Suzuki (Kuki Kaidan).

Representing Japanese cinema on a global stage, Takeshi Kitano, a revered and internationally respected filmmaker with more than 35 years of experience, continues to push the envelope with his latest venture, Broken Rage.

“When I first read the script for Broken Rage, I was surprised by the unprecedented twists and turns in the story, “ said Tadanobu Asano. “And at the same time excited to be able to join the director in this new challenge.”

“First of all, I was overjoyed to be able to work with Takeshi Kitano again, a director I deeply admire,” said Nao Omori. “When I first read the script, I felt this was a new creative direction for him, quite different from his previous work, and I wasn’t sure how to approach it. But on set, despite the intensity, there was still laughter, with that familiar excellent atmosphere you get on one of Kitano’s sets.”